Ossoff announces Bibb County schools will get more than $100M in federal funding
The Bibb County School District will receive more than $100 million in federal stimulus funding to address learning loss and other impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Jon Ossoff announced during a trip to Macon.
Ossoff visited Heritage Elementary Wednesday afternoon to announce the funding, which was passed by Congress as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, with more than $3.8 billion earmarked for Georgia public schools.
Bibb County School Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones called the money “transformational” and said part of it would fund programs designed to help students make up for pandemic-induced gaps in education and social development.
“It gives us a real opportunity to address what’s been called learning loss,” Jones said. “We’re going to accelerate learning with that money, beginning this summer and continuing over the next two years.”
A significant percentage of that $106 million will go directly to individual schools, Jones said, whose leaders will write proposals for the district on how to best use the money. Jones said the district will review those proposals and ensure the district addresses students reading, writing, math and social/emotional learning.
“This will give us an opportunity to address learning loss in ways I couldn’t even have imagined three months ago.” he said.
Ossoff said the money would be used to keep the district open safely during the pandemic.
“This legislation will provide just about $106 million… to support this amazing staff, to help the health teams that are keeping teachers and students safe and healthy, to support teachers who have shown such resilience and flexibility, and to help our students access the education they deserve and fulfill their plans,” he said.
At least 20% of the funding — about $21 million — has to be spent to “address learning loss” through efforts like summer learning programs, extended school days, afterschool programs and extended school years.
Defining, understanding and reacting to “learning loss” is complicated, and researchers are still trying to figure out the impact of the pandemic and its disruption of in-person classes on students.
Bibb County schools turned to remote learning last spring and returned to in person classes in October. But an increase in local coronavirus cases forced the district to go back to remote learning in December, and a majority of students finally returned to classrooms in mid-February.
According to the Georgia Department of Education, stimulus funds are allocated based “on a district’s proportionate share of Title I funding.”
“For example, if a school district received 2% of Georgia’s overall share of Title I funding in Fiscal Year 2021, they will receive 2% of the ARP allocation. This funding formula is required by federal law and GaDOE does not have the authority to use a different method,” read an education department release.
According to the department, the Houston County School District is in line for about $50 million from the ARP Act. Here are estimated totals for other Middle Georgia school districts, according to the education department:
- Baldwin: $18,145,737
- Crawford: $4,322,907
Jones: $7,125,424
- Laurens: $14,668,648
- Monroe: $5,405,814
- Peach: $11,457,320
- Twiggs: $3,675,623
- Washington: $12,289,736
Sen. Raphael Warnock was also in Middle Georgia Wednesday, touring farms in Peach County to discuss stimulus funding for farmers and rural communities.
Telegraph photographer Jason Vorhees contributed to this story.
